Early Childhood Education and Care Quality and Gains in Skills Among a Diverse Sample of Toddlers and Preschoolers in Norway

ABSTRACT We investigate whether quality of early care and education, measured using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), predicted gains in toddlers' and preschoolers' vocabulary and self‐regulation over 7 months. The sample consists of 318 toddlers (M age = 26 months; 46% female; 56% dual language learner) and 569 preschoolers (M age = 44 months; 51% female; 71% dual language learner), attending 89 toddler and 124 preschool classrooms in Oslo, Norway. Using mixed effect linear regression analyses, among toddlers, higher learning support on CLASS predicted gains in vocabulary. Among preschoolers, higher classroom organisation and instructional support on CLASS predicted gains in self‐regulation skills. Implications of these findings for the developmental needs of toddlers and preschoolers, and the use of CLASS as a classroom quality measurement tool, are discussed.